Five Excellent Looking JRPG’s on the Horizon For 2013

With the popularity of western free-roam RPG’s and MMORPG’S such as The Edler Scrolls, Fall Out, and World of Warcraft, its seems that the good old fashion JRPG’s (Japanesse role playing games) have taken a back seat in the U.S. While often more linear than games such as Skyrim, many JRPG’s offer extremely in depth story lines, intricate and additive battle systems, and all sorts of mini games and side quests that offer hours of playability. Back in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, games like Final Fantasy 7, Xenogears, and Chrono Cross, helped popularize the JRPG subgenre. Fortunately, these types of games are still being made. Although they may not be on the front of every website or gaming magazine, 2013 looks like it may bring some fantastic JRPG’s across the spectrum of modern day gaming systems. Here are five JRPG’s to watch out for.

1.) Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII– Love it or hate it, Final Fantasy is one of the most well known series in the world of JRPG’s. This new title will be the sequel to Final Fantasy XII-2 and the third installment in the Fabula Nova Cystallis story arc. The game takes place 500 years after the events in XIII-2 and puts players in control of Lightning, the Heroine of Final Fantasy XIII. Lightning, who has just woken from crystal sleep, will have 13 days to save the world from the awakening of the ancient god Bhunivelze. Lightning will be the only playable character and the game will take on a more action-RPG oriented battle system. Lightning Returns is set to be released this fall for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Players will take control solely of Final Fantasy 13’s Lighting in the third installment of The Fabula Nova Cystallis.

2.) Dragon’s Crown- This 2-D action RPG is currently being developed by Vanilliaware, the same company that made Odin Sphere in 2007. The game gives players the choice of six classes: Fighter, Amazon, Elf, Wizard, Dwarf, and Sorceress, and like Odin sphere, the game plays as a side scroller, fast paced action-RPG. players explore subterranean dungeons and labyrinths, while learning new abilities, and finding powerful weapons. What really stands out about Dragon’s Crown, are the beautifully hand drawn visuals. Check out the screen shot below and watch for the game this summer on PlayStation 3 and Vita.

The stunning, hand drawn world is what really stands out in Dragon’s Crown.

3.) Dark Souls II- This will be the third installment of the skull crushingly difficult, yet succesful action-RPG series developed by From Software in Japan. Fans of this series better put aside some extra cash to pay for any controllers that get smashed while battling through Dark Souls II. Gamers will control a character who has been cursed and searches through a treacherous, lonely landscape for a cure. Previous director of the series Hidetaka Miyazaki will now be acting as supervisor and giving his position to Tomohiro Shibuya and Yui Tanimura. However, the game is still rumored to contain the same element of challenge as the other two. Look for this one on Play Station 3, Microsoft Windows, and Xbox 360 near the end of 2013.

Watch out! Dark Soul’s II could take a few years off your life.

4.) Time and Eternity- This PlayStation 3 Exclusive RPG uses 3-D models for backgrounds, yet hand drawn, 2-D characters, making for odd, yet breathtaking visuals. Gamers control a young woman named Toki, who has a vicious alter ego named Towa. After Toki’s Fiance is killed at their wending, players guide Toki back and forth through time, learning skills and fighting enemies in real time battles. The Game will be released in the U.S. in October.

The 2-D drawn characters look beautiful against the 3-D landscape of Time and Eternity.

5.) The Guided Fate Paradox– This up and coming title is being developed by Nippon Ichi Software, the same team responsible for Disgaea: Hour of Darkness and La Pucelle: Tactics. This dungeon crawler RPG puts you in the shoes of a high school student who has been chosen by angels to become a God after winning a lottery machine in the mall. (Ok, wow…gotta love JRPG’s) He must now lead the angels in a war against hell. The gameplay will be similar in style to Disgaea and will be released sometime this fall for the PlayStation 3.

Take on Hell’s legions as your new job as God in Guided Fate Paradox.

This gives us a good mix of some new installments in already popular franchises, and some crazy looking JRPG’s that are new to North America. Lets hope all the RPG junkies out there can find the time to indulge in some of these gorgeous and intriguing looking JRPG’s in the next few months.

Information courtesy of Gameinformer.com (What’s Coming for the JRPG in 2013), IGN.com (Introducing Three New PlayStation 3- Exclusive JRPG’s)

Author

Michael has been a gamer since his older brother gave him a Super Nintendo when he was 8, this started his spiral (downward/upward?) into video game addiction. Shortly after he got a Play Station for his 9th birthday and fell in love with games like Final Fantasy, Tomb Raider, Spyro the Dragon, Metal Gear Solid, and Resident Evil. His favorite genre of games are RPG's and survival horror. Michael is currently working towards his Master of Fine Arts in fiction writing, but loves any opportunity to write about gaming, as he believes every writer should live by the motto "write what you know!" When not playing games Michael listens to heavy metal and lifts weights, as he is going for the "Kratos" physique for the summer.